What do I do with you?
by TheLittleSmirk
Summary: After the great wars end, Sasuke returns to Konoha and while he is not welcomed with open arms, he does his best to ignore and protect Konoha, the village his brother, Itachi loved so much. The only problem is that there is evil lurking in the shadows of the past and the only light that he can reach for is that of a simple villager called Nanami. The struggle is on, so join us!
1. The waitress & The shinobi - Chapter 1

What do I do with you?

When the Fourth Shinobi War ended, peace finally fell over Konoha and the other villages. Sasuke understood that he had to cherish his brother's wish to protect Konoha and so, he decided he would try his hardest to become the Hokage and be able to watch over the village properly. At first it was hard for people to accept him and the talk behind his back was on going, yet the Uchiha never faltered from his spot and stood his ground against rude comments and such.

Even Naruto found his decision suspicious and kept his distance for a while, yet, because of Sakura fawning over the raven haired boy, he had to also come in contact with him. Their friendship started again, now stronger than before from the blonde's point of view and even Sakura, that once had a little crush on Sasuke, now it turned greater and bloomed into love towards the man. Of course, Sasuke wasn't looking for love so naturally he remained the same cold shoulder for her, but she was fine with even that as long as she could be in his presence.

Three years passed along and the two boys started bickering again as they both tried their best to become Hokage, so Naruto clearly saw Sasuke as his rival and acted as such. They had their sincere moments too, when they would train together or spend some time just gazing at the sky once in a while. Sakura of course, was supportive of Sasuke and continued her normal behavior with the blonde.

Now Sasuke and Sakura were returning from the training grounds and they were both hungry, so they stopped at a small restaurant, one at which Sasuke liked to eat almost all the time. It wasn't really the great taste of the onigiri with okaka, but because of a certain person that happened to work there all the time and always serve his meal. This was the first time Sakura came with him, mostly because she insisted that they would eat together so when she saw the restaurant, she immediately fell in love with the ornaments and the coziness that it emanated.

As much as he came here, it seemed that this person never noticed him. She never looked him in the eyes or bothered to talk much, neither did he because that was his nature, so the only exchange of words was the order and the bill.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun~ This is so pretty" the pink haired woman cooed as she sat down across from the raven haired male. His onyx eyes were looking around and when he spotted the very light brown locks, he made a sign with his hand. The girl had just finished taking the order of another couple, so after she placed the orders, she quickly came to their table with her usual smile plastered on her light pink lips.

"Yes~ How may I be of help?" she asked in a surprisingly soft tone compared to her bubbly appearance. "Omusubi and okaka" he stated without even glancing at the menu on the table. The girl quickly scribbled it down before glancing at Sakura who was just staring at Sasuke "And you miss?" the girl politely asked, breaking Sakura's stare "I uh..the same as him!" she quickly stuttered giving the girl a smile.

"Ah, I see, a couple" the waitress smiled to herself, scribbling down Sakura's order and making her blush lightly "Haha…well" "We're not a couple" Sasuke interrupted, not even looking at the young woman.

Realizing her mistake, she blushed in embarrassment just as Sasuke turned to look at her "I apologize, I didn't mean to" and after she bowed, she ran off to give the order. The Uchiha only stared after her with no expression before he let out an inwardly 'hn' and turned to gaze out the window.

"Nana-chan, are you alright?" asked one of the waiters, noticing her red face "Yes, Yes, I'm fine, I just talk too much sometimes" she chuckled as she waited for the orders to be done. While she did so, her sky blue eyes turned to gaze at the table where the previous incident happened, taking notes to shut up next time she serves the food.

"First order is done, Nana" the chef announced, placing the bowls of ramen on the counter and as soon as he did, the blonde was off with them at the table she first took the order from, bowing after she set the plates and wishing them to enjoy the meal.

Nanami was a very respectful girl, that was also the daughter of the woman that owned this restaurant. She was 19 years old now and working hard to put money aside and one day open her own place, only not a restaurant but a tea shop. She didn't exactly like preparing food like this, instead, she liked baking cakes, making cookies and sweets that could go perfectly with different types of tea. The girl didn't come from a very prestigious family, in fact, she only went to Konoha Academy because she was forced to and she knew the basics of being a ninja, yet she never saw it as being fit for her. Instead, she liked to play the flute, bake, read books and paint.

Her father was never happy with a frail girl like her and even though he was an ANBU, he couldn't bring her to follow in his steps. She wasn't meant to be a fighter. So after her father died, she remained with her mother, helping her with the restaurant and also being paid for it. It was a good job because she liked serving people good food and seeing them smile and enjoy it, it also brought a smile on her face.

"Nana, second order is done!" came the voice of the chef again. She quickly walked up to the counter and took the four bowls, each two on her each arm, trying her best to balance it towards the table. Just as she was getting closer, someone passed behind her, poking her accidentally on her waist and startling her, making the bowls fly up in the air from the sudden reaction.

The food was all spilled, on the ground, on the male and on the table. Sakura gasped and Nana could just watch petrified as the okaka lingered on the male's shirt. Sasuke only stared, not knowing exactly how to react at the now kneeling Nana.

"I'm so sorry!" she blurted out, standing up on her feet and taking her handkerchief from her dress's pocket, doing her best to wipe off the smudges of the food. "I didn't do it on purpose, I'm so sorry…It was an accident" she continued, clearly shocked and scared as she continued to wipe. It was to no avail, the food was gone and his shirt was dirty because of her.

She took a step back and bowed again and again asking to be forgiven "Because of my mistake I will have the order remade and it will be on my account, so please accept my sincere apologies" she spoke, her big blue eyes looking at both of them.

Sakura finally snapped back to reality and glared at the waitress "How dare you do that to Sasuke-kun? Look at his shirt, it's ruined! How do they even let clumsy people like you serve others?" she yelled, placing her hands on her hips as she stood up to look down at the shorter girl that now cowered a step away from the pink haired woman. "Do you know who we are? We are the heroes of this village, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke, does he deserve to get food spilled on him?" and Sakura was quick to judge because she saw a lot of people do bad things to Sasuke for the actions in his past, when he walked away with Orochimaru. Naturally, she thought Nana did this on purpose as well.

"I'm sorry miss, it was an accident!" the girl spoke again softly, bowing lower and standing like that, her wavy long locks falling over on her shoulders and from her back. "I will bring the order again in a few minutes, please accept my apologies" and after she added this, she was gone, not showing the fact that she was on the verge of crying at this moment. This never happened and she felt so embarrassed for the accident, she didn't even know how she could apologize more.

"The last order, again please" she tapped the counter and the chef looked at her oddly before starting on it again. As she waited, Nana calmed herself down, peering towards the two worriedly.

"Sasuke, we should go, this must have been humiliating for you" the pink haired woman spoke, her hand falling on his shoulder. He couldn't say anything to her, and as much as he was supposed to be annoyed, he wasn't. He saw how it happened and it wasn't the girl's fault, yet she still apologized for it over and over again and most importantly, she touched him. It wasn't intentionally, but he felt her hand over his chest as she tried to clean his shirt and then her eyes, he never saw her eyes this up close.

"No…she didn't do it on purpose" he finally spoke, snapping back as Sakura's hand patted his shoulder. "How can you say that?" "Shut up" he finally muttered, getting annoyed with what she was doing. He didn't like being argued with and Sakura kept prodding, something he again, didn't enjoy. The female was left speechless and simply ceased her talking, glancing towards the waitress that was now cleaning a table.

When the order was done, the blonde rushed to get it and this time, she slowly made her way towards the two, carefully placing the food down "Enjoy the meal and again, my apologies" she bowed as she stepped away "Stop apologizing" the male suddenly spoke, making her look at him curiously "It's annoying" he concluded, taking a bite of the onigiri. She once again flushed and hurried away from their space. How stupid she felt…

After they were done, Sakura quickly stood up to leave and when she saw Sasuke still sitting down, she regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "Sasuke-kun, we must leave now, she's paying" the perky pinkette stated. However, the Uchiha had other plans and while he was ignoring Sakura completely, he pulled out some money and placed it on the table before finally standing up as well. "Sasuke…why are you paying?" she tried again "If we were to punish everyone for their every mistake, where would I be now?" and with that, he shut his colleague up and left the restaurant, Sakura hot on his trail.

As Nana walked over to clean the table and take the dishes, she spotted the money, but they were already out and far by then. The woman took the money and stuffed it in her pocket, already knowing what she was going to do. The fact that he still paid, even if she said she would correct her mistake, it humiliated her further.

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The next day, Nanami woke up early and took the day off because she had something more important to do. Her mother was already away and she was left alone in the house. Even if she had breakfast prepared, it was lonely eating it alone, but why would she complain? She simply sat down and ate quietly, staring at the money she had from yesterday from that boy that was supposed to be an Uchiha.

Truth be told, she heard the stories about the clan, she knew about the stories involving him as well, after all, villagers talked a lot. Even so, he didn't seem like a bad person, but then again, she didn't know him as well as others did, so her opinion didn't really matter much. After finishing her meal, the girl got dressed in a white plain dress and some sandals and she was gone to find the house of Uchiha Sasuke and return the money to him.

The villagers that she asked as she walked through Konoha were nice enough to give her the info she needed and soon enough, she found herself in front of a compound's gates, possibly where the Uchiha clan resided before it was slaughtered. Entering there, she didn't want to, so she just remained near the gates, after all, at some point he was going to come out or come back in, right?

Her assumption was right, but very late, because she was left standing and waiting for at least four more hours. He came out of the compound just as she was about to go look for him through the village and ask again the villagers. When he saw her and she saw him, there was a tinge of a spark that ran through her body, but she shrugged it off and turned her body to face him completely.

"Good morning, Uchiha-sama" she bowed politely as the male only stared down at her "What are you doing here?" he urgently asked, not even caring to respond to her greeting. She somehow lost her focus when he did that and blushed lightly, sitting up and looking with wide eyes at him "Ah..well…yesterday" she mumbled "the food incident..I'm sorry" she mewed shyly, gazing elsewhere. This was a very embarrassing situation.

"Just because I paid the food doesn't mean I like you…so stop stalking me now" he grunted, clearly irritated. Her eyes snapped up to him as he said this, making her face turn into a tomato "No!" he also seemed surprised by her sudden loud tone "I don't like you at all…I mean…I'm sorry for what happened yesterday and I'm here only to give you back the money" she blurted everything out, her eyebrows furrowing together as she pulled the money out of her satchel that hung over her shoulder and towards him.

"I am a woman of my word and I said I would pay for my mistake…so please take your money back, I can't accept it" and even she was unsure just from where her courage came from. Her eyes were shut tight as she held the money up to him. And the silence that followed after was excruciating.

"Just take the money and go home" he finally muttered in a more calm tone, making her open her eyes and gaze at him incredulously. "No…I can't accept it, so please take it back" she insisted, her voice already cracking a bit "Otherwise…I will stay with you until you accept it back" and that made him raise his eyebrow at her.

"Suit yourself" and he passed by her like she didn't even exist. The girl kept to her word and followed him through the village. When he stopped, she would stop and every time he glanced back, she was there, blushing embarrassed but still following him like a puppy. The route for the day was towards the training grounds and as long as he trained, she sat down in the grass, watching in awe.

A large ball of fire left his mouth and as scared as she was of fire, she couldn't help but admire its capability to destroy everything in its path. He kept doing all kinds of tricks and even fought his own clone at some point. Nana was left gawking at how strong he was and somehow she felt helpless along the way. As he landed from an attack he performed, making his clone disappear, he caught her eye and smirked to himself.

The now sweaty Uchiha made his way towards her, startling the blonde when he plopped down beside her. Her baby blues looked at him curiously as he used a towel to wipe away the sweat on his face, tossing it in her lap, to which she whimpered, not very keen on having a sweat filled towel on her nice white dress.

"Why do you want to give the money back?" he suddenly asked, drinking some water from the bag he had with him. "I…I keep my word…and I was humiliated when you…did that" she whispered, looking down at the towel, not daring to shove it away.

Her answer made him look down at her "Why humiliated? You weren't guilty to begin with" he stated. She didn't answer and he thought that she just ignored him now, but when she turned her teary eyes to meet his, he knew that he touched a sensitive chord. "I…I keep my word…so please accept it…back" she managed to say, trying her best not to sniffle or cry.

He couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand how innocent she looked, how angelic her whole presence felt, how much her tears made his heart ache just a bit. He couldn't stand it at all, so he chose not to look at her. From the moment he first saw her, when he first stepped in that restaurant by mistake and because he was too hungry, that was when his heart finally skipped a beat. He was feeling down and sat alone, surrounded by laughter from others and she noticed that when she took his order.

"Don't be so sad, tomorrow is another day, it will get better and better, have faith" she said to him and she was right because every day he would come there, he would feel better after seeing her face even if she never remembered him. All the time he would stay there longer, even after finishing his meal. He knew her name, her age, the fact that she wasn't a ninja, that her mother ran the restaurant and that she liked to serve others the meals just to see them smile. He knew all that, yet he could never bring himself to catch her attention, he always told himself that he had no need for a woman in his life, because all he needed was power and that had him obsessed for a while but at the end of day, he always found himself entering the small restaurant and looking for the woman he yearned for.

"I'm not hanging my decision" he finally answered her. Nana's eyes widened further and she grasped his arm with her little hand, tugging at it "Please…accept it back" she begged again and just hearing her voice on the verge of crying, it drove him crazy. He yanked his arm away from her grasp and stood up.

"Do what you please, I will never accept it back" his cold reply made her sadden even more and she also stood up, the towel falling on the ground as she did. Realizing this, she quickly picked it up and held it to her chest.

"Uchiha-sama…what am I supposed to do now? I have to repair my mistake…so please, ask anything of me!" she yelled, not knowing what to do anymore. This took him off guard and his eyes widened in surprise at her demand. She couldn't see it, but a crude smirk played on his lips.

"I do need someone to cook and clean since I am busy with training and going on missions" he stated, turning to gaze at her now hopeful eyes.

"A maid you mean?" she asked, tilting her head to the side "Yes" was his simple response. The girl smiled widely and nodded eagerly "I will do it! If it means repairing my mistake, I'm going to do it" she grinned happily, that finally he agreed to something.

"You can start tomorrow…after your work" he shrugged and yanked the towel out of her arms, but she pulled back "No, Uchiha-sama, I will wash it and have it back to you tomorrow" and he just stared at her, almost risking getting lost in her smile.

"Whatever"

"Thank you Uchiha-sama"

"…Shut up"

"Yes, Uchiha-sama"

"…Tch…"


	2. Jealousy - Chapter 2

"So, Sasuke, saw you with a girl at the training grounds two days ago, finally found your half?" Kiba asked teasingly while Sasuke scanned the perimeter. He happened to pass by at that time and he saw him sitting with a pretty girl, naturally he was curious, given that the Uchiha was as cold as stone and even when he knew Sakura's feelings, he still didn't return them at all.

"We are on a mission, Inuzuka" the man coldly replied, his eternal mangekyou momentarily glancing at him. Kiba only smirked satisfied with the reaction "I see, I see…tehee~" and with that, he also looked in the direction Uchiha was, sniffing the air "They are gone now it seems" he concluded, walking out of hiding, the big Akamaru following suit, as did Sasuke.

The battlefield was filled with corpses and blood was spilled everywhere. No one knew who did this and not even Kiba could pick up a scent, the powerful smell of blood simply bothered his nose too much.

"Who or what could have done this?" he asked, looking at the pieces of bodies and limbs scattered around. It looked as if some kind of beast tore them to pieces and fed on them.

"I don't know" the Uchiha whispered, taking in the grotesque sight.

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"Welcome back home, Uchiha-sama" the girl chirped as Sasuke walked through the door, taking him by surprise. She bowed politely to him and with that same smile of hers managed to make him forget about the event from yesterday.

"While you were on your mission, I managed to clean the whole house, and you have breakfast waiting for you…also, there was someone called…Naruto, looking for you" she spoke, gazing down at her hands that fidgeted with the edge of her blue dress. "I told him to come back today…did I do good?" and as she asked, her eyes timidly peered in his own, making him look away.

"Yeah" and with that he was gone in the kitchen, seeing that she had made onigiri for him and dumplings. The girl followed him in the kitchen and started washing the dishes she used while he ate. The silence was somewhat comforting for him and as he stole a gaze her way, he couldn't help but admire her beauty once again. Even when she was washing dishes, humming stupidly to herself, even then, she looked attractive to him.

It has been a few days since she started working in his house and during that time he was away on the mission, so it was nice finally seeing her in action. A loud knock, more of banging on the door was heard, interrupting both of them.

"I wonder who it is…" the blonde muttered, glancing towards the door. He knew who it was and stood up just as Nana dried off her hands to go see herself. "No…you stay here" he grasped her shoulder and pulled her back towards the kitchen. The girl only nodded confused and went back to washing the dishes.

A sigh escaped his lips and as soon as he opened the door, he was attacked by Sakura and her millionth of questions. That only meant Naruto told her about the girl in his house, later he was going to have to shut that buffoon's trap.

"Who is she? Why didn't you tell me? I want to see her, she lives with you already no? Is she strong? Is she an ANBU?" and the pinkette pushed past him to go find the pest and her future victim for stealing Sasuke's heart before her. Before she could go further, Sasuke had her back slammed against the wall.

"It's not your business, Sakura" he murmured, the position already leaving Sakura breathless as her greens stared in his onyx ones. Her heart started beating faster and she closed her eyes, pursed her lips and waited for him to finally do it.

"Uchiha-sama…are you going to eat the rest or should I-" and everything stopped. Sakura's eyes opened wide at seeing who the mysterious girl was and Sasuke only sighed in defeat. It was impossible to hide something from Sakura after all. He just didn't want her wrath pouring on the poor girl for nothing.

Nana herself seemed surprised at the scene, Sasuke holding a girl against the wall, it looked pretty promiscuous to her, so she could only blush and turn around. "I'm sorry!" she squealed, her face turning a very deep shade of red. "You are the girl living with Sasuke-kun? You're not even fit! You're so skinny and messy looking! Are you even a ninja to have interested him?" and here started Sakura with her judging of every girl approaching him.

The male was getting irritated with this. Wasn't he allowed to have a private life? Without her knowledge and butting in every time he wanted his space? With a scowl, he walked towards the blushing Nanami and twirled her around so she would face Sakura with him. "I don't care about that…and neither should you, Sakura…now could you leave me and my unfit girl alone? I'm starting to get annoyed by this interrogation" it was more than he said in a few days and it stated his position clearly.

Nanami stared up at him and he could swear her intention was to slap him for that, but she refrained from any gesture and hung her head in shame as Sakura stared at them both with her mouth agape. His hand was around her shoulder and she was so close to him she could feel the heat emanated by his body…it was a very intense moment in which she had a hard time trying not to faint from being so close to the opposite gender.

When she finally left, Sasuke released Nanami and as soon as he did so, her body literally hit the floor much to his surprise.

"Nanami..?" he asked quietly, kneeling down and shaking her shoulder, but the woman was already fainted and gone from this world out cold. What was he going to do now? A sigh escaped his lips as he stared at her sleeping face. If possible, she looked even more angelic than before, which annoyed him to no end. If she was going to keep that expression on, he wasn't sure how much he could control himself.

He picked her up and placed her over his shoulder before he walked to his room and settled her body on his bed, then tucked her in. The room looked tidier than usual, which meant she explored on her own. His eyes caught the picture of the team 7, from very long ago. It was placed openly on the desk. Did she see it? More than likely. That also meant she saw his weaker self. Glancing at the sleeping girl, he walked back to the bed and sat down, just taking in every detail of her face. She had long eyelashes and slender eyebrows and her skin had no flaws whatsoever. He wanted to caress her cheek, but he stopped himself and instead, he left the bedroom and went back to the kitchen to finish his breakfast and go for training.

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"Oi! Sasuke!" a delighted smile took over the raven haired male's lips as he saw the blonde approach him. And when he was close enough, with that dumb grin of his, the Uchiha's fist collided with the Uzumaki's face.

"What the fuck? What was that for?" the aggravated boy yelled as he stammered back on his feet, glaring at the Uchiha that only looked more pissed by the second, the sly smile on his face being only for cover.

"If you ever put her in such a posture again, I will kill you" he threatened, grabbing his collar and pulling him close to his face so he'd know how serious he is. "Stop fucking around with what you don't know" he added before shoving the blonde off and glaring down at him.

"…Hah…you mean the girl at your house?" he finally realized, glaring back up at him. "So after Sakura confesses to you all the time…you can't even return her feelings! But you go around with this girl that you barely even know" Naruto accusingly pointed a finger to him "How does that make her feel? Ever thought of that?" he prodded, standing up now and dusting himself off.

"How can someone so dumb and shallow exist?" the Uchiha asked him, placing his bag down "You think you know everything…and you protect Sakura as if she's some sort of deity and you yell at me and accuse me…but did it ever occur to you that I may not have those feelings for her? What am I supposed to return if I have nothing?" the blonde stopped in his tracks and glanced at Sasuke dumfounded and surprised at his honesty. His blue eyes then gazed down at the ground, a pang of guilt taking over for what he did and placing Sasuke in an embarrassing situation.

"Sorry…I'll clear things up with Sakura" he mumbled "It's too late to clear things up, she already thinks that girl is mine…" Sasuke interrupted, making Naruto look at him with widened eyes "Let her think that…it doesn't bother me and she'll move on easier" and those were some wise words coming from the Uchiha, but they had a more deeper meaning than his simple concern for Sakura's feelings. He actually liked the role he was playing, he never played it before and it was something new…to have someone to return to.

"Let's start this already"

"…Okay, Sasuke"

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"Nanami…wake up"

"A little more…"

"Nanami…you slept through the whole day"

"I'm tired"

"Nanami…you're sleeping in my bed…"

"I'm sorry"

"Nanami, I want to also sleep"

"I'm so tired" it was no use arguing with a sleeping girl. She whined and moaned about how tired she was. Sasuke was already back from training, took a shower and got ready for bed, but much to his surprise, he found the girl still in his bed sound asleep with his pillows wrapped in her arms and the cover messily around giving off that she tossed and turned a lot.

With an annoyed sigh, the raven haired male crawled in the bed and plopped down next to the sleeping girl. Not even five minutes passed and the petite woman placed her leg over him and her head nuzzled at his side. A shiver ran down his body when he felt her touch him so directly, yet so pleasantly. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally fell asleep, unconsciously embracing her small frame to his body.

The next morning when the girl woke up first, she jumped five feet from the bed, landing roughly on the floor. Sasuke's face was very close to hers and his arm was draped over her middle. The blonde mess of curls slowly stood up from the floor and panicked at the thought of having claimed his bed for the night. A deep crimson blush took over her cheeks and she had to cover her face with her hands to not risk being seen like this. She was probably looking like hell, especially with her puffy hair all around the place, her sleepy face and redness.

Quickly, she arranged her hair back and splashed her face with water in his bathroom before changing in her usual clothes, the ones she previously had on being for in house activities, and started on making breakfast.

A loud knock made her jump again, and made her heart race like it was a marathon. As soon as she calmed down, she took timid steps towards the door, a bit weary if she should answer or not, but when she slid it open and saw the vibrant blonde spikes, she couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning, Uzumaki-sama" she chirped as the male grinned. He had seen her a few days back as well, but at that moment he was pissed that a woman was staying with Sasuke while Sakura would follow him around like a lovesick animal.

"Morning! Is Sasuke here?" he asked, his bright blue eyes gazing in her baby blue ones with genuine interest. "Ah yes…he's sleeping at the moment, but you can come in if you wish, I'm sure he won't mind" she softly spoke, letting space for the male to come in.

"Ah, thank you" he replied as he kicked his shoes off and walked inside "It smells so good~" he cooed after taking a sniff. The girl smiled ear to ear as she walked back to the kitchen "Thank you, Uzumaki-sama…please take a sit in the kitchen" she stated and began stirring the omuraisu she was making.

"Are you Sasuke's girlfriend?"

Nanami almost burned herself when he asked that and she glanced back at the blonde that was peering at her curiously.

"No…of course not…why would you even…No" she blurted, her face turning in a tomato as she fumbled with the plates. "I am…like a maid…I clean and I cook and then I go to work or home" she added, turning to give the male a small smile.

"Why would you do this for Sasuke?"

This boy was very curious and it only made her smile more "Well…I have this debt I want to pay him, and he wouldn't accept it and this was my only other option since he lives by himself and doesn't have anyone that can clean the whole house…and he's very busy too" she chuckled, finally placing the Japanese egg omelets on plates.

"I see…I'm glad" he suddenly spoke as she placed his food on the table and then Sasuke's plate across from Naruto.

"Oh? Why? I'm sorry…I'm just very curious" she laughed nervously as she went to start washing the dishes.

"Well…this girl really likes him a lot and she was very sad when she found out about you…she jumped to conclusions so this is a relief, knowing that nothing is happening and she can still hope without fear" he explained with his bright smile on his face. Little did he know that his statement actually made Nanami stop from rinsing at the frying pan and sadly look down at the foam mixed with water. She didn't know she made someone so upset…by just wanting to do something good. Her heart ached knowing that she affected someone like that.

"I'm…sorry" she whispered timidly, gaining the blonde's attention. He couldn't help but stare at her incredulously. Her eyes were teary when she turned to bow at him. "Ah…don't be….don't cry…I didn't.." he tried, not knowing how to react exactly at the sight. It took him by surprise, seeing her reaction, so he clumsily stood up from his seat and walked towards the upset girl, his hands reaching for her shoulder when he knelt down.

"Hey…there's no need to cry over something so trivial" he grinned and when she looked with her saddened eyes at him and her pained expression, he could feel the pang of guilt spreading through him like a disease.

Without thinking, he grasped her small body and hugged her, also bringing her on her knees when he did so. "It's alright! Don't cry, c'mon!"

"What are you doing in my house?" and as the cold voice run through the kitchen, Naruto quickly let go of the weeping girl to look at a sleepy Sasuke that had quite the scary glare on his face.

He peeked at Nanami and when he saw her covering her eyes and wiping her tears away, his heart sunk and he made his way towards her. "Nanami?" the male asked, yanking her up by her arm, to which she only whimpered softly and looked up at him, the stains of her tears already having been rubbed away by her sleeves.

"Good morning Uchiha-sama…I have made breakfast, Uzumaki-sama dropped by to see you so I also made him some" she smiled weakly, tugging her arm away from his grasp. She bowed to him politely "Please take a seat, I will have to leave for work now, enjoy the meal" he couldn't understand it, but he knew something deeply shook her if he caught her crying on Naruto. Instinctively, he grasped her wrist again to glance at her face only to find the same fake smile as before.

"Goodbye, Uzumaki-sama" she turned to him as well and bowed before leaving in a hurry.

The two males were left alone in the kitchen and after a while, the raven haired ninja turned to regard the blonde one with a glare "What did you say to her?" he growled in a low tone. Naruto only raised his eyebrow at him before glancing away.

"Nothing but the truth…I didn't know it would upset her so much" he muttered. As soon as the words left his mouth, he was slammed against the wall and raised up by his collar by Sasuke "If you ever talk to her again…I'll end you" he menacingly threatened before letting go and having the blonde slide down, holding his neck with a puzzled face.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You never reacted this way when it came to someone's well being!" Naruto yelled, earning only a glance as Sasuke sat down at the table and proceeded to eat his breakfast. He left in a huff, storming out of the Uchiha compound and leaving Sasuke to go train by himself for the day.

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"Nana-chan, the summer festival is coming soon, we need decorations" another waitress announced Nanami that was cleaning a table.

"Ah…the festival, I almost forgot" she mumbled, turning to look at the very perky waitress. The young woman only shook her head at the forgetful blonde "Owner Akiko said that last week, you forget so easily" she ruffled the shorter girl's hair "Take a basket and go pick flowers and leaves from the forest, I hear the baby breath has grown nicely not far from the place where our shinobi train" the older girl pursed her lips and shrugged with no much care.

"Ah, I will go then…but what about customers?" Nanami asked a bit unsure, glancing at the almost full restaurant. It was mid-day so people would come here hungry from training or work to serve a warm meal. "Don't worry about it, I'll cover it…there aren't that many orders to take" and taking the assurance to heart, the petite girl took a basket from the kitchen part of the restaurant and was gone towards the training grounds.

She almost forgot about the festival and that also meant it was going to be a very busy day. It also meant she wasn't going to see the Uchiha because of her prolonged shift. She didn't have anything against it, after all, that girl now had a chance to ask him out and Nanami was glad that she could finally do something good for her after the pain she must have gone through. Only the thought made her stomach sink in guilt.

When she reached the enormous grounds, she easily spotted Sasuke with a group of other ninja's, training hardly by the sweaty messes they were. After pulling her waitress outfit lower, she tightened her hold on the basket's handle and walked as further away from the action as possible, trying to not attract very much attention.

Just when she thought no one spotted her, an enormous dog just leaped out of nowhere and almost took her with him if she didn't step back in time. Sighing in relief and placing her hand over her racing heart, the girl was going to continue her walk and ask nothing of that if it wasn't for someone actually calling out for her.

"Hey! You, the pretty gal with the basket! Ya you, the blondie!" and she wanted to cower in a hole and never be seen again. Awkwardly, she turned to look at the person yelling and saw some off male with red streaks on his cheeks, waving in a painful way. Did he know her? Blinking twice, she looked to her left and then her right before she timidly raised her hand and gave a light wave to be polite.

Sasuke and the others also stopped and turned their attention towards the now running Kiba. When the Uchiha's eyes landed on her figure, he was about to go and pull Kiba away, but refrained from doing anything just yet, preferring to just watch.

"Waaah! You're so adorable! Where have you been hiding, girl of my dreams?" his eyes sparkled as he ran to her and grasped her hands in his, making her basket hit the ground. "…Do…you know me?" she softly asked, her wide blue eyes curiously peering at his appearance.

"I'd love to! I only saw you with Sasuke last time…"

Typical. With a light blush, she slipped away from his grasp and gingerly picked up her basket, letting it slide on her wrist. "I'm sorry…but I am in a hurry, please go back to what you were doing" she held a kind smile that left the wolf boy speechless when she simply turned and walked into the forest, not even glancing back.

"She's…going to be my future wife!" Kiba announced loud enough for the whole crowd to hear. It also made Sasuke slightly irritated, but he went back to training with the others.

Nanami continued on the narrow path through the forest, her eyes looking for any flowers or leaves that may make a good decoration or look good in vases. She easily came upon a clearing where there were a lot of dandelions and she took the opportunity to play a bit while she was working. She set the basket down and childishly skipped into the clearing, picking out a dandelion as she sat down. It was said that if you blew a dandelion and made a wish, it would come true and she could definitely use a wish. Eagerly, she blew on it and watched as all the little spores just floated into the air, making her smile and even laugh by herself.

"Would it be selfish…if I make another wish? And another and another…" she trailed off as she picked three more dandelions, pursing her lips and letting the air take them far away. After a while of gazing into space and at the clear sky, the blonde finally scattered on her feet and began picking flowers. Baby's breath was just as the other waitress said, beautiful, so she made sure to take a lot of that into her basket, before her eyes spotted daffodils, yellow ones. She quickly knelt and picked some of those as well, placing them in the basket too. After a whole hour, she had gathered orchids, anemones, daisies and some leaves of all kinds of shapes. With what she gathered, they could make small decorations to place around the restaurant and also place in vases.

Just as she was about to pick up her basket, a rather disturbing sound got her attention and before she knew it a large fire ball was coming towards her destroying everything in its path. Her legs acted on impulse and she jumped out of the way just in time, letting out a scream as she hit the ground hard. Her elbows were now scraped along with her knees from the fall and as she pulled herself to sit up in the grass, she watched with wide eyes as the destructive fire continued on its way, making a path of ashes.

Not long after, a worried looking Sasuke appeared along with the others that were training with him. When his eyes fell on her small form that was still in awe at what she just managed to dodge, he rushed to her side "Nanami…did it-" and then he saw the bloody elbows and knees. The adrenaline that rushed through her was now fading away, leaving behind a slightly trembling Nanami, that was still not paying attention to anything around her.

"Woah! Is she ok?...Hey…how do you know her name?" the wolf boy also came towards them, peering over Sasuke's shoulder at the frail looking girl. Sasuke's eyes flared the Eternal Sharingan red, but they changed back to onyx black as he yanked her to look at him.

"Nanami!" he growled and when he still didn't receive a response, he quickly picked her up and stood up himself, pushing through the others to make his way out of the forest through the path made by his fire ball. He didn't mean for it to be deviated towards her, but it happened and he was cursing himself for hurting her in such a way. Wasn't he supposed to protect her? Now he just hurt her, hell, almost killed her on the spot. His jaw clenched as he picked up his pace towards Konoha's hospital.

She was the person that he never wanted to see bleeding like that, being hurt, having bruises. She was such a frail girl, she was like an angel and angels weren't supposed to get hurt by filthy creatures like him, not even touched and it somehow drove him crazy, knowing that she was too kind and pure for his already tainted soul.

"Sakura…attend to her wounds"

The pink haired medical ninja was just discussing something with another when Sasuke showed up with this girl in his arms, trembling like a dog and with just some superficial scrapes on her elbows and knees. She looked at him with widened eyes, at how scared and worried he seemed, even if for a second, he was restless, agitated.

The healing process took a few seconds, yet all this time, Sasuke kept pacing around the bed.

"She seems traumatized…otherwise her injuries are healed" she spoke professionally as she checked for any other lesions. "She just has to be taken home, tucked in and a bit of food should do the trick…" she trailed off before looking at Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun…what happened, why are you so agitated over some superficial bruises?…you've seen a lot worse"

"Thanks…for attending to her" he muttered before once again picking her up in his arms and carrying her back to the Uchiha compound. His heart had been racing the entire time and when he finally walked inside his house, the girl was asleep so he simply tucked her in the bed once again before he retreated to the kitchen on a mission : to discover the culinary secrets of making udon soup.


End file.
